Psalms

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Psalms

• Anthology of Hebrew devotional poetry
• Variety of religious experiences and responses
• Variety of poetic traditions and techniques
• Hebrew tradition
• Use of Canaanite tradition
• Influence of other Near Eastern poetic
  traditionsespecially Egyptian
• Particular emphasis on theological crisis of
  Babylonian Exile
• 150 poemsfive separate books

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Psalms

• Hymnssongs of praise
• Psalms of thanksgiving
• Laments (individual and collective)
• Royal psalmsDavidic kings
• Enthronement psalms
• Psalms of blessing or cursing
• Psalms of wisdom and instruction

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Psalms

• Poems composed at various times
• Range of religious and historical experiences
• Complete trust and complete despair
• Best and worst of Israels relations with god
• David as traditional author of Psalms
• Various titles and notations to Psalms

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Psalms

• Postexilic editors crafted/organized 5 books of
  Psalms
• Doxologyexpression of praise to god
• Hermann Gunkelfamous modern critic of Psalms
• Classified Psalms
• Classification remains standard

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Psalms

• Both public and private
• Songs of praise usually offer specific
  reasonsoften historical
• Use of ancient myths to recall gods greatness
• Praise of god for faithful guidance
• Songs of Zionspecific focus on city of Jerusalem

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Psalms

• Psalms of thanksgivingprayers of gratitude
• Gods acts of deliverance
• Often a before/after scenario
• Laments emphasize sorrow and mourning
• Individual or collective
• Often ask for gods vengeance
• Can be critical of god

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Psalms

• In laments, God remains faithful despite apparent
  lapses in covenant relationship
• People eventually come around
• Many laments begin with formal invocationaddressi
  ng god directly
• Complaintspecific reasons for lament
• Confession of trustpeople still rely on god
• Petitionask god to remedy problem
• Thanksgiving
• Can emphasize gods hesitancy to act

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Psalms

• Psalms of blessing or cursing can be disturbing
• Tend to be specific or doctrinal (DH)
• Royal psalmscommemorate Davidic kings
• Enthronement psalmshope of new king
• Descendant of David
• Psalms of Wisdom and Instructionspecific guidance

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Psalms

• Dialogue and communication between god and people
• Questioning
• Reassurance
• Doubt
• Faith
• Joy
• Critique
• Individual
• Communal

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Psalm 1

• Happy he who does not follow counsel of wicked
• Like a tree beside water
• Lord watches over way of righteous

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Psalm 8

• Glorious name of Lord
• Majesty praised as high as heavens
• Small concern of mortal next to gods great
  creations
• Yet human is little less than god

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Psalm 19

• Heavens tell of glory of god
• Sun like a bridegroom
• Nothing hidden from its heat
• Law of Lord is perfect
• Instructs soul
• Lord as rock and redeemer

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Psalm 23

• Lord my shepherdlack nothing
• No feareven in valleys of darkness
• Spread table for me amidst enemies
• Cup brims over
• Will dwell in house of Lord all my days

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Psalm 24

• Earth and all in it belong to Lord
• Pure of heart may confront god
• Will receive blessing from god
• Lift up heads for king of glory
• Who is this king of glory?

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Psalm 42-43

• As a deer longs, so I long for you
• People ask, Where is your god?
• Deep in distress and misery
• Lord protects meI praise in return
• God as rock
• God my refugeyet why have you rejected me

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Psalm 84

• Dearly loved dwelling placepoet pines for house
  of god
• Happy those who dwell in gods house
• Asks god to bless appointed king
• Better 1 day in house of god then 1,000 in my home

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Psalm 90

• You have been our refuge through all generations
• 1,000 years as 1 day to god
• Omnipotence of god
• How long lord?
• Time to show compassion
• Grant us days of gladness now
• Establish for us all that we do

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Psalm 91

• Lord as refuge and fortressin whom I place trust
• He will rescue you
• Have no fear
• Will see retribution of wicked
• No disaster will befall you
• Gods angels will guard you
• God knows my name
• God will be with me in times of trouble

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Psalm 98

• Sing a new song to lord
• Lord has shown his victoryseen by all ends of
  earth
• Calls on all earth to break into songs of praise
• Rivers and mountains join in

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Psalm 121

• My help only from god
• Will not let foot stumble
• Lord as guardian
• Will protect against all harm

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Psalm 122

• Let us go to house of LordJerusalem
• Throne of justiceat house of David
• Peace be within you

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Psalm 125

• Believers in Lord like Mt. Zion
• Lord will surround people
• May lord reward the good and punish the wicked

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Psalm 126

• Like people renewed in healthwhen lord restored
  Zion
• Laughter and joy
• Restore our fortunes now
• Sow tearsreap joy

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Psalm 130

• Called Lord from out of depths
• Forgiveness with lord
• Soul waits for lord with longing
• Love unfailing in lord
• God alone to set Israel free

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Wisdom Literature

• Three realms of authority in ancient Israel
• Priest
• Prophet
• Sage
• Priestinstructs in covenant law (Torah)
• Prophetconveys gods word
• Sageprovides wise advice

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Wisdom Literature

• Wise as public figures
• Remembered for short, wise sayings
• Sources of knowledge (e.g. Proverbs)
• Solomon as traditional provider of Wisdom
• Wisdom books
• Wisdom
• Ecclesiastes
• Proverbs

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Wisdom Literature

• Variety of literatures
• Riddles
• Fables
• Sayings
• Maxims
• Individual or collected
• Usually anonymous
• Many written lateGreek influence
• e.g. Wisdom of Solomon

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Wisdom Literature

• Joseph and Daniel as wise charactersinterpret
  dreams
• Wisdom literature marked by authors wise
  reflections on mundane existence
• Ambiguity of ethical message
• Not easily categorized
• Wisdom authors often castigatedcan arrive at
  seditious conclusions
• Especially in interpreting role of divine in
  everyday existence

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Song of Songs

• Cycle of erotic love poetryemphasis on sensual
  love
• Lyrical drama?
• Hard to date
• May be as early as 10th century BCE
• May be as late as 4th century BCE
• Likely post-exilic redaction
• No historical allusions

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Song of Songs

• Geographical allusions to Northern Kingdom
• Geography notably rural
• Celebration of sexual/sensual passion
• Often read as allegory of marriage
• Gods love of Israel?
• Christs love for church?
• Now seen primarily as celebration of physical
  sensuality

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Song of Songs

• Spiritual dimension of poetrys eroticism
• Power of love and death
• Traditionally attributed to Solomon1000 wives
• Clearly not the author
• Strong influence of Near Eastern love poetry
• Influence of Near Eastern fertility goddess,
  Asherahmarried to El or Baal
• Similarity to Egyptian love poetry
• May have been intended for Israeli country
  weddings

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Song of Songs

• Many bibles (including our own) edit poetry to
  create lyrical wedding drama
• Only one reference to marriageSolomons wedding
  procession
• Emphasis on both beloveds/lovers absence and
  abundance
• Lovers placed in places common in scripture
• Places are described as fragrant and lush

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Song of Songs

• At conclusion, love placed in larger context of
  death, god, and underworld
• Paradox of human love
• Love as strong as death
• Love as sensual and physicalmarked by affinity
  to this world
• Can love reach beyond this world?
• Variation on advice of Ecclesiastes?

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Song of Songs

• 1 Fragrant love
• May he smother me with kisses
• Take me to your chamber
• Bride as dark and lovely
• Bridegroom admires bridges body
• Bridges images/admiration for bridegroom
• Beautiful eyes
• Handsome bridegroom

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Song of Songs

• 2 Beloved as lily among thorns
• Fruit of beloved sweet to taste
• Charges maidens of Jerusalem not to awaken love
  before timebefore it is ready
• Beloved as young stag
• Bridegrooms call of bridge

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Song of Songs

• Let me see your face
• Beloved mine and I his
• 3 Sought love night after nightnot found
• Go to search in city
• Bride brings beloved back to mothers house
• Do not rouse love until ready
• Solomons wedding procession

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Song of Songs

• Solomons wedding daycome out and greet him
• 4 How beautiful is the bride
• Beautiful without a flaw
• You have stolen my heart
• Your love more fragrant than wine
• Great beauty of bride
• Petrarchan image

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Song of Songs

• Blow upon my gardenspread spices around
• 5 Bridegroom has aroused brides beauty
• Eat and drink deeply until drunk with love
• Beloved knockingwants in
• Arose to open for beloved
• Opened to love
• Love goneto go and find love

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Song of Songs

• Bride praises beauty of beloved
• Bride on beauty of beloved
• 6 I am my belovedshe mine
• Eyes of bride dazzle bridegroom
• Bride as only perfect woman
• Beautiful as the moonradiant as the sun
• Bride makes bridegroom a prince

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Song of Songs

• 7 Beauty of brides thighs
• Sensuality of navel
• Enticing daughter of delight
• 8 Brideif only you were like a brother
• Then she could kiss beloved in public
• Bridegroom rouses bride under apple tree where
  mother was in labor
• Love strong as death

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Song of Songs

• Many waters cannot quench
• Little sisternot yet pubescent
• What to do with her when she is asked in
  marriage?
• Brides vineyard as hers to give
• Bride calls bridegroom out into openshow
  yourself

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• Attributed to Solomon
• Written by anonymous Hellenized Jew living in
  Alexandria Egypt
• Author uses Septuagint
• Written during last century BCE
• Combines Greek philosophy and Hebrew Wisdom
  tradition
• Platonic distinction of body/soul
• Rewards of virtue and immortality
• Strong Hellenistic influence

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• Figure of Wisdom identified as traditional spirit
  of god
• Written to Jews living in exile in Egypt
• Many tempted to relinquish religion and pursue
  Greek culture
• Shows superiority of Hebrew ethics and faith
  practices
• Shows omnipresence of god in Hebrew history
• Even reaches out to gentile community

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• Three major sections
• Rewards of wisdom/immortality
• Wisdom described
• Wisdoms role in Hebrew/human history
• Fate of wicked vs. righteoustied to Wisdom
• Deitys justice will win out in end
• Claims humans created for immortality

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• Souls of just monitored by god
• Suffering of just as a textPatience
• Unjust/ungodly receive appropriate punishment
• Afterlife conceptpromise of eternity of bliss to
  the just
• Lady Wisdom
• Speaker (Solomon) takes Wisdom as bride

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• Suggestion of preexistent soulprior to
  incarnation
• Souls rewarded and punished in afterlife
• Immaterial/preexistent soul
• Strong Platonic influence
• Four cardinal virtues of Christianitytemperance,
  prudence, justice, fortitude

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• Concludes with survey of human history
• Presence of Wisdom presence of god
• Gods care of/compassion for people
• Allows for reinterpretation of Israels history
  in millennial moment
• Presence of evil attributed to Devils
  spitebeginning to revise Genesis account

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• Wisdom as Gods all-powerful Word
• Comes to earth from heavens
• Logos tradition developed by Philo Judaeus
• Adopted by Gospel According to John
• Prehuman ChristLogospresent at creation

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• 1 Love justiceseek and find lord
• Wisdom wont enter shifty soul
• Spirit of lord fills earth
• Unjust person will be made to account
• God did not make/bless death
• 2 They saidwe will pass away our lives as
  fleeting shadows
• Enjoy good things of creation while you can

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• God will save the just
• God made humanity imperishable
• 3 Souls of just in gods hand
• Will shine in glory at judgment
• Wretched is he who thinks nothing of Wisdom
• Blessed is innocent woman and eunuch
• Glory of honest work

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• 4 Virtue as kind of immortality
• Just person will die and be at rest
• Children born out of unlawful union as proof of
  parents sin
• God helps his holy people
• Godless will be dishonored and in anguish in
  death
• 5 Just man to take his stand in afterlife

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• Hopelessness of godless
• Just live foreverroyal splendor will be theirs
• Just will take holiness as invincible
  shieldemploy lighting
• Apocalyptic imagery
• 6 Authority given by god
• God reviews those with authority

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• Hope that leaders learn wisdom
• In praise of Wisdom
• Desire for learninghelps bring you closer to god
• Leaders must honor wisdom to reign forever
• Solomons account of meeting Wisdom

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• All kings come in and out of life by single path
• Solomon initially ignorant
• Wisdom as inexhaustible treasure
• Wisdoms skills made all things
• Permeability of Wisdom
• Wisdom makes all things new

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• 8 Solomon loved Wisdom and sought her out
• She chooses what gods works are to be
• Great value of Wisdom
• Solomon takes Wisdom home
• To have immortality through Wisdom
• Becomes good king and brave warrior
• Find rest in Wisdom

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• 9 Wisdom beside gods throne
• Wisdom present with god prior to creation
• Wisdom knows and understands all things
• Perishable human body weighs down human body
• Intelligent mortals kept safe by Wisdom
• 10 Wisdoms role in early history of Israel
• Wisdom becomes hinge in Israels history

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• Wisdom guides and preserves
• Wisdom rescues race from oppressorsguide of
  Exodus
• Wisdom as source of success in all
• Wisdom set all things in order
• All things you created dear to you
• Great strength of Wisdomjustice
• Judge in mercy

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• He who is just must also be kind-hearted
• Disciplining of children
• 13 Idols thought to be beautiful by people
• 14 Gods providence as pilot of ship
• Recalls flood story
• Idols did not exist from beginningaill not last
  forever
• Idolatry leads to warfare

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• 15 god as kind and merciful ruler
• To know god as source of immortality
• Greatest fools as oppressors of gods people
• No human has power to shape a god
• 16 god has power of life and death
• No escape from hand of god
• Creation orders world

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• 17 Great are your judgments
• 19 god knows future of godless and god-fearing
• Fate of afterlife
• Servants of god preserved unscathed in afterlife
• Servants of god can remember life/history in
  afterlife

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The Wisdom of Solomon

• Punishment of sinners
• God continues to direct Israels history
• God as maker and organizer